For episode #4 of The Student-Athlete Series, Arielle Mersiadis-Carrier joins the series to recap her time as a varsity swimmer at Acadia University. As she just finished her undergrad in Kinesiology, Arielle recaps what the change was like when COVID-19 hit (2:05) and explains the unique path of how she eventually became a varsity swimmer (5:24). The episode continues with Arielle talking a bit about the beginning of her time as a varsity swimmer and the adjustments she had to make from 3 practices per week to 10-12 per week (8:10). Arielle was also able to talk about taking a year off from varsity swimming during her second year (11:19) and talks about why this was the right decision for her at the time, along with what she could have done better. Arielle was able to talk about her rollercoaster last season swimming at Acadia University (13:19). She explained a setback injury at the end of September (16:00), qualifying for nationals (18:41), and going to U Sports Nationals in BC (20:44). Arielle also talks about another injury during Nationals (22:40). The episode finishes off by Arielle giving out some student-athlete advice on how to balance school and sport (26:42). Arielle’s grit and drive are very relevant throughout the episode and is clearly one of the hardest working student-athletes out there. Tune in to hear all about these incredible experiences as a varsity swimmer.